Hospital Administrator

Take charge of the business side of running a hospital.

Quick Stats

Salary Range

$51,000 – $145,000

Data from U.S. Department of Labor

What do Hospital Administrators do?

When most people think of hospitals, they think of waiting rooms, emergency rooms and operating rooms, all adorned with white linoleum, privacy curtains and ominous beeping machinery. What they don’t think of are corner offices, boardrooms or grids of corporate cubicles.

That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, however. They do — and you’ll see them up close and personal when you’re a Hospital Administrator.

That’s because your job as a Hospital Administrator isn’t caring for patients; it’s caring for the hospital itself, which consists of two worlds: the part where health care is given and the part where business is done. While Doctors and Nurses manage the former, you’re in charge of the latter.

Indeed, as a Hospital Administrator, you oversee the administration of hospital business. And make no mistake: A hospital is, in fact, a business. And like any executive in any company, your job is making sure that business runs smoothly. To accomplish your goal, you’ll be in charge of tasks like monitoring hospital performance, policymaking, creating and enforcing budgets, sourcing and negotiating with vendors, hiring and training employees, and enforcing hospital rules and regulations.

To do your job, you’ll work closely with colleagues in finance and human resources, and will collaborate with Doctors and Nurses to assess wait times and patient satisfaction as functions of business performance. Often, you’ll work with a governing board, which might also expect you to help the hospital with fundraising, community outreach and media relations.

All of this means that you’re neither white collar nor white coat; you’re a little bit of both.

Should I be a Hospital Administrator?

You should have
a
bachelor's
degree or higher and share these traits:

Calm Under Pressure:
You keep your cool when dealing with highly stressful situations.

Reliable:
You can always be counted on to do a good job.

Ready for a Challenge:
You jump into new projects with initiative and drive.